


Permission Denied

by nazgularepeopletoo



Category: Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Betrayal, Gen, Idk what to tag this as, Misunderstandings, Pre-Canon, i guess, it's self indulgent
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-04-12
Packaged: 2019-04-21 19:31:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14291856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nazgularepeopletoo/pseuds/nazgularepeopletoo
Summary: Set before the movie, in response to Nigel's info stating that Van Pelt and Bravestone used to be partners, and the fact that one of them is a professor, and one has a PhD.





	Permission Denied

Fall was giving way to winter though it was only October when Professor Russel Van Pelt formally filed his latest, and unbeknownst to him, last grant with the Department of Anthropology head. He wasn’t worried about the outcome, it was favourable. His team had brought attention and praises to the University since he had started working for them a little over a decade ago. There was no way that the Board would deny his proposal.

The crisp air mussed Van Pelt’s hair as he walked briskly back across campus towards the Archeology building where his office was. He hadn’t been this excited in years, probably not since the last grant went through. He felt like he was humming, energy coursing through his veins and speeding his steps. 

His first stop wasn’t his own office, but the office of his close companion and partner Dr. Xander “Smolder” Bravestone. He had written the grant to include both of them, even though he knew Bravestone was having some doubts about the current objective. He thought it was too dangerous and nigh impossible, but Van Pelt had to disagree. Going on this expedition would be the greatest thing they had ever done, it would change their lives. He didn’t bother knocking when he got to Bravestone’s office, he never had in the past and wasn’t about to start now.

“Xander! Xander you-” He shoved the door open, then froze, his voice dying off. Bravestone wasn’t alone. The two men standing at the table looked up at him in the doorway, obviously in the middle of a conversation. A map was laid out in front of them, markers littering it’s surface. Van Pelt blinked, eyes darting from the table to the men. Before he could say anything, the shortest man cleared his throat. 

“We can finish this conversation later, I think.” ‘Mouse’ Finbar said, shifting and trying not to make eye contact with Van Pelt as if he was guilty of something. Before anyone could respond, the man nodded, grabbed his bag, and pushed past Van Pelt out the door. Bravestone sighed, straightening up and folding the map daintily, before motioning for Van Pelt to enter the room.

“Russel, what can I do for you?” Van Pelt swallowed, trying hard not to eye the map still held in Bravestone’s hand. All the earlier excitement was gone, replaced with a feeling of dread. He had never met this Finbar personally, but he knew that Bravestone had saved him on an expedition that Van Pelt himself had not gone on, the first one they hadn’t been on together. 

“I uh… I filed the grant today. I wanted to let you know… I filed it for both of us because we…. Haven’t…” He trailed off, seeing the disappointed look on the other mans face.

“Russel…” Bravestone sighed, passing a hand over his head as if to run his fingers through hair that wasn’t there. “We talked about this. Sit down.” He pulled out a chair and sat, indicating the other chair at the table. Van Pelt hesitated a moment but eventually sat stiffly, already on guard. 

“We can’t go after the Jaguar’s Eye, Russel. Even if it exists, it’s too dangerous, and it’s not something that we should be going after. I told you I wouldn’t go on this expedition with you, if you even get the funding, which you won’t. I sent in a note to the Board telling them to think hard when consi-”

“You _what_?” Van Pelt stood quickly, eyes widening slightly. “You told them to deny my grant? _Our_ _grant_?” Bravestone shook his head. 

“ _ Your _ grant, Russel. I said this before, I want nothing to do with this.”

“But we haven’t gone on an expedition together in years I-”

“And who’s fault is that?” Bravestone wasn’t one to raise his voice often, but he did now. “You’re  _ obsessed _ , Russel. You don’t talk about anything else. This is all you care about, even more than  _ me _ ! So don’t talk to me about having been distant,  _ it’s your fault _ !” 

Silence fell in the small room, only broken by quiet breathing. Van Pelt blinked, refusing to let the tears spill over his eyelids. He didn’t want Bravestone to be right, but he was. He’d spent the last few years pouring over research and letting everything, even his classes, fall to the side. But he had thought that Bravestone would have backed him on this, on the thing he had been searching for this whole time and finally had a chance to find. But now it was clear that he had been mistaken. Bravestone had replaced him and didn’t want anything to do with him anymore. 

“I… I didn’t... “ He didn’t know what to say. “Fine. Fine I’ll do this on my own. I’ll take the grant and-”

“You’re not getting the grant, Russel…” Bravestone shook his head again, standing and moving to the door, opening it. “Go, get some sleep. You look awful.” Van Pelt swallowed, clenching his hands into fists. “I won’t talk to you about this anymore. When you’re ready to talk about something else, you’re welcome to join me and Finbar on our next expedition.” With that, he turned moving back into his office to sit at his desk.

“Xander I…” He fell silent, pulling his jacket closer around himself and darting out the door. He would do it on his own. He would find the Eye of the Jaguar, and prove Bravestone wrong.

 

He would prove all of them wrong. 


End file.
